Embrace
by Brunosaurs4
Summary: A series (hopefully) of Beruyumi oneshots. (Cuz this pairing does not get enough love :D)
1. Embrace

**So I wrote this for Beruyumi week, cuz this is one of my favorite ships and it doesn't have many fics. It's kinda short, but I hope you people like it.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan).**

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**EMBRACE**

Reiner was finally asleep. It was an uneasy sleep to be sure, but at least he had some measure of peace now. Watching over him, Bertholdt felt like breaking down into tears again. For the millionth, billionth time, he wished that things hadn't turned out like this- that they'd just been ordinary soldiers, and not mass-murderers who'd been forced to betray their blood-brothers. That Annie wasn't stuck in some torture dungeon, and Reiner still had his sanity.

Sitting on the edge of Wall Maria, Bertholdt buried his face in his hands, letting his tears flow freely. They were alone now, him and Reiner and Ymir, with the Survey Corps behind and the titans ahead. And, if they even got to their village in one piece, Ymir would probably be killed. The thought sent a stab of fear through his heart. He knew that he had fallen in love with Ymir, and the thought of her dying for his sake- more murders being committed for them- abhorrent.  
Hunching over, he choked back a sob, hating himself for being so weak.

"Bertl?" It was Ymir. She sat down next to him, dangling her legs over the wall, and sighed. Her bare foot was smoking. He looked away, wiping his eyes. They sat in silence.

"The moon seems nice tonight, doesn't it?" Ymir said, after a while. Bertholdt looked at her. She looked strangely… peaceful, she even had a small smile.  
"How can you be so calm at a time like this?" He demanded tearfully. Ymir gave a short laugh.

"What the hell else do you want me to do?" She said, leaning back on her arms. "Cry and tear at my clothing?"

"No, but- you-" Bertholdt shook his head. An angry ran down his cheek. Ymir leaned over and wiped it away.  
"Stop crying, Bertl," she said, almost softly. Bertholdt nodded.

"Sorry, he said, taking a deep breath, "that's all I'm good for doing, crying and… being a mess."

"We're all a mess," Ymir said shortly. "Not just you."

"Are you kidding me!" Bertholdt exclaimed. "How- the others aren't liars! They are weak-willed idiots, murderers, monsters! I-I was the one who broke the wall, it's my fault!" He trailed off… and looked at his hands. "It's my fault," he repeated brokenly.

And Ymir hugged him. She just leaned over, pulling him in her arms. He buried his face into her shoulder, not bothering to hide his tears now. All he wanted to do was to feel her arms around him, feel her closeness, and revel in it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this."  
Ymir laughed. "That's not your fault," she said, nuzzling his ear, "I-I'm a shitty person too. You guys are the ones who helped me out. This is my chance to pay you back."

"By giving up your life?" Bertholdt said, drawing back, and looking at her in surprise. "Don't do this, Ymir. You're- you're not a bad person. You're kind, and… you're good."

In response, Ymir poked him in the nose. "And you're not a bad person yourself, Bertholdt," she said, with a grin reminiscent of old times. "You stayed strong, for Reiner. And in your own way, I guess you're doing your duty."

"But-"

"Shut up." She leaned forward, their foreheads touching. "Don't talk. For tonight… lets just stay this way."

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**Please review! :D**


	2. Fight

**Second Chapter!**

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Bertholdt licked his lips nervously. In front of him, some distance away, Ymir stood with her arms folded, grinning. The wooden knife they were supposed to be wrestling each other over was clasped loosely in her hand. All around them, the other trainees were busy in their hand-to-hand training.

"So, Bertholdt," Ymir called out, dropping her hands to her sides. "Ready?"

Bertholdt nodded. "Yeah," he answered. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure what to do. Hand-to-hand wasn't something he'd ever needed to learn. He took up a defensive pose, then ran at Ymir. She responded by turning her back to him and hunching over, then elbowed him in the chest.

Wincing, Bertholdt stepped back. Ymir responded by trying to kick him. It caught him in the chest, but there wasn't much force in it; Ymir was clearly off balance, and the kick sent both of them staggering.

Bertholdt regained his footing and looked over at Ymir. She grinned and waved the knife tauntingly.

"Come and get it," she said in a sing song voice.

He frowned. Some of Annie's fighting came to his mind, little bits and pieces of it. Raising his fists determinedly, he charged at Ymir, and punched her in the face.

With a yelp, Ymir half-spun and fell over.

Bertholdt looked happy for about two seconds before he realized what he'd done.

"Ymir?" he said nervously, taking a step forward. "A-are you alright?"

"Urgh," Ymir groaned, sitting up and rubbing her cheek, which had seemed to taken the burnt of the blow. She looked at Bertholdt and said: "Ow."

"I'm sorry!" Bertholdt said panicking. He'd hit her too hard! "I didn't mean it!"

"Nah, it's okay," Ymir said, waving him off. Getting up, she picked up the knife and handed it to him. "Congratulations. You win."

"Uh…" hesitantly, Bertholdt took the knife. Still rubbing her cheek, Ymir walked away.

Bertholdt usually always liked to watch the sunset over the training grounds. It was a cheesy thing, but standing on the porch of their little huts, it gave him the feeling that he was home. But on this occasion, he was feeling upset. He still felt ashamed over hitting Ymir. It was only a training exercise, it wasn't even important for their scores. Was she mad at him?

As he leaned against the railings, frowning worriedly, he saw Ymir and Krista coming towards him. As he was standing outside the dining hall, he assumed that they were heading for dinner. He flushed at the thought of seeing Ymir face to face again, wondering if she was upset. For a second he actually considered vaulting over the railings and running away.

As both girls came up the steps, he croaked suddenly: "Ymir?"

Both girls stopped and looked at him.

"I'd like to talk to you," he said, licking his lips.

Ymir gave him a searching look, then smirked. Krista nodded and smiled pleasantly.

"Alright. I'll be inside," she told Ymir.

Bertholdt watched as Krista walked away. Ymir took a few steps towards him, and leaned against one of the wooden supports. "Yeah?" she said, in a neutral voice.

"I- about today," Bertholdt began, well aware that he was sweating horribly. "I-I'm sorry I hit you."

"Hmph." Lifting her hand, Ymir rubbed her cheek again. Bertholdt noticed a dark, angry bruise there, and another wave of embarrassment washed over him.

"I'm really sorry," he repeated, running his hand through his hair nervously. "I-I got caught up in the moment, I didn't mean to get violent. I'm really, really sorry."

"No problem," Ymir said with a shrug. "I'll let it go this time. You owe me one, though."

Bertholdt nodded anxiously. "So… you're not mad?" he asked.

"No," she said, rubbing her cheek. "I'm quite surprised, actually. I didn't realize you packed such a punch." She gave him a grin. "But it's okay, I don't mind roughing it up."

Bertholdt's eyes widened. "I-I- no-" he stammered incoherently, turning red as a tomato. Ymir laughed.

"You embarrass easily, don't you?" she said, grinning. Reaching over, she patted him on the cheek. "Well, you look cute when you do."


	3. Together

There was a hush over the Survey Corps Headquarters. The expedition to capture the Female Titan had been a complete failure, and as a result half the Survey Corps were dead. Those that survived had managed to do so by the skin of their teeth, and were trying to cope with the loss.

Krista was bandaging up Sasha's leg. Across the room, Ymir watched her. Krista was trying to hold up, but it was clear that the younger girl was shaken. Ymir felt a stab of irritation. _Krista's so… self-sacrificing_, she thought. _She's too good._ _To everyone. _It irritated her, for some reason.

Angrily, she got up and went outside. It had not been a heavily populated place to begin with, and now, it seemed practically deserted. Feeling restless, she wandered around, remembering the ill-fated trip. She remembered the moment the Female Titan had come running out of nowhere, straight at them. The way she'd curb stomped the whole flank, leaving the remains for the other titans to eat. She remembered her own fear at that moment, the irrational panic at the thought that she might die.

_I am a titan_, she told herself. _If push comes to shove, I turn, and_… and what? Once she transformed, everyone would know what she was. And she would be trapped. She never, ever wanted to return to that hideous nightmare again.

Ymir growled with frustration. She felt confused, angry, sad. She wasn't sure what she felt, what she wanted, whose side she was on.

It wasn't till she heard the soft whinnying of the horses that she realized that she had wandered to the stables. They were empty, the guy who'd managed them having been killed. Ymir's face twisted at the thought. He'd seemed like a good guy, and she couldn't _even remember his name_. Angrily, she kicked at a stone. It hit the side of one of the stalls loudly. There was the sound of something falling over from behind the stable.

Frowning, Ymir walked around them. There were some boxes there. Bertholdt was sitting on top of them, his legs pulled to his chest, his arms around them. He looked at her, startled. Ymir stared back at him.

"Hey," she said. "Hiding, huh."

Bertholdt's expression changed; he looked grim. "Yes," he said, in a low voice. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Ymir said, with a shrug. "I just… couldn't stay there."

Bertholdt nodded and looked away, hugging his knees tighter. "I'm a warrior," he said, in a low voice, "I shouldn't be feeling like this."

Ymir gave a small laugh. "Hey, feelings like these are what make us human, right?" she said. Bertholdt looked up at her.

"Human…" he said, and there was bitterness in his voice. "There isn't much place for a human in this world, is there? They… all die so soon."Ymir didn't say anything.

She didn't want to think of his words, how they were probably true, how tomorrow they could all probably be dead, just like the others. Strong meant nothing amongst the humans, Levi's squad had been the strongest, and they'd been squashed like flies.

Watching Bertholdt idly, she wondered how long it would be before he was killed. He was attractive, she realized, tall and strong and broad-shouldered. Watching the muscles flex as he tensed his arms, the fine sheen of sweat over his face and neck, she felt the burning in her skin increase. She wanted him, wanted him to fuck her brains out. Almost without thinking, she reached over, and pulled him into a kiss.

He inhaled sharply, his body growing rigid. His arms snaked around her waist, slowly at first, then tightened as their kiss deepened. Ymir threaded her fingers through his hair, hungrily pulling him closer. She pushed him down, straddling him, trying to pull off his jacket. Bertholdt's own hands were running up and down her back, under her shirt. His lips left her mouth, feverishly trailing kissing down her neck.

She didn't want to think about what she was doing. She didn't care. Tomorrow, probably, she would feel different, but at that moment, all that mattered was him, the feel of his body against hers as she descended into blissful oblivion.


End file.
